Most of the Irish stuff I saw in Cork last week was of the short variety but I did manage a few features that were Irish or at least related. (More on the shorts at a later date)
In the "related" category came EDDIE MACKEN: TRUE LEGEND, a documentary about the titular Irish showjumper. Unfortunately its running time meant that the story of Macken's life and also the recent competition which gives the film the majority of its story were kind of rushed through, with the voiceover repeatedly emphasising how great he is just in case. Credit is due however for making it accessible for people who, like me, know nothing about the sport and managed to take something away from it.
This was paired with another related documentary, BUTTE AMERICA, in which Gabriel Byrne narrates the story of an American mining town's rise and fall through interviews with its residents, many of them Irish or descended from Irish. It's a fascinating and touching story which is all the more powerful for the fact that this kind of thing is still happening to towns all over the world, and will probably continue to do so for many years.
The late night feature OUROBOROS was pieced together from a series of short films and to be honest probably played better that way. A collection of videos very loosely connected, the film didn't make a whole lot of sense to me and at about two hours it was a bit of a chore. The programme perhaps missold it somewhat as it was a fair bit more experimental in nature than expected, and that's not a type of filmmaking that suits everyone's tastes.
LIFE KILLS YOU examines the life of Dutch artist Ad van Turnhout as he espouses his opinions on art and religion among other things. Merit will vary depending on how much interest you have in the man, but I certainly found the parts about his visit to Ireland interesting. Better still was the other film on the bill with this one, BLANKET MEN, which was a fascinating account of the prison life of H-block prisoners in Northern Ireland, a subject recently brought to light again by the release of HUNGER.
SEASIDE STORIES sees Irish director Fergus Tighe return to the screen with a tale of interweaving lives in a small town in Ireland. Although a little rough around the edges (the director did emphasise that it was still liable to be changed here and there) it's an engrossing drama. The main problem I had with it was mainly that the subplot concerning a damaged war vet and his daughter was so heartbreaking and well acted that it stole a lot of the thunder away from the main story, but I guess in some lights that still says something very positive about the movie.
MEMORIA was another mindbender of a latenight movie in which an Irish couple run into trouble on a holiday abroad. Dream-like in a style not unlike David Lynch, the film is going to leave a lot of casual viewers cold but is worth sticking with. Truth be told I was probably a bit too tired to be taking it all in but that almost adds to the experience. It's also an excuse to watch it again if I get the chance, which I suspect many people will want to do as it's very definitely a film that will probably require at least a couple of viewings to fully appreciate.
I also took in a trio of films celebrating the 125th anniversary of the GAA, despite knowing very little about it at all. In that respect the documentary on Christy Ring was interesting but probably of more interest to those with a keener interest in the man and the sport; it was also good to see CLASH OF THE ASH, a drama about a young hurler who seems determined to go off the rails - it was interesting to compare this with SEASIDE STORIES by the same director. The real gem however was the chance to see THREE KISSES, a short film made by Paramount in the 50s about a hurler getting the chance to play for Cork - it was dismissed by the Irish but went on to get an Oscar nomination. Well done to the Irish Film Archive for getting this one out there.
Some opinion on the short film programmes to follow!
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